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The Capital's Underworld/A Night In the Garden
While the deepening dusk signalled the end of the day for some, it was merely the beginning of the vibrant nightlife for Belleau-a-Lir, the streets gradually flooding with people looking to enjoy their downtime. One individual, a young woman, walks out of one of the local restaurants with a sigh, quickly blending into the crowd before stopping in at one of the less crowded gardens. Myiari's date had turned out to be a total bust. A medic in her day job, that much would have been difficult to tell given what she was wearing--her medic's uniform had been replaced by a more typical outfit any young woman her age would wear for a night out. Once she's sure her date's safely lost her trail, she begins to relax a little. That's the last time she goes out with someone her brothers set her up with. The Senator's own social life doesn't include such social nocturnal activity, but that doesn't stop Tokoga from enjoying the sights and sounds of the nightlife. If nothing else, it means that the people are happy and secure enough to leave their homes, and it warms the Senator's heart to see such care-free living, truly one of the greatest fruits of liberty. Plus, the Mon Calamari hopes his continued public presence serves as a reminder to Nass that the Senator isn't troubled in the least by his veiled, semi-silent threats. Sitting in the outdoor seating area near the entrance of a small cafe near the gardens, Tokoga quietly picks at an assortment of fruits from Dac--a Mon Calamari-inspired dish, although its quite beyond Tokoga why off-worlders would consider such a staple food of theirs a 'gourmet' item to be served in the likes of this place. It doesn't take long for the medic to spot the Senator, and after a moment or two of deliberation, she decides to wander over. "Expecting someone for a business meeting, Senator?" she greets, smiling. "Or are you just out enjoying yourself?" Briefly, Myiari wonders if he'd even recognize her, what with the drastically different clothes she was wearing compared to her usual, or the amount of make-up (even if it wasn't a lot) she had on. It takes the Senator more than a few moments to recognize "Just enjoying myself..." he answers before giving Myiari a look over. "Bad date?" he asks with a little bit of a grin once he's come to his conclusion. Dravin wanders through the area, which is kind of strange for a verpine. They useualy spend thier free time working on something techie. He is wearing what he always does, A green flight suit. His outfite is very out of place for the local crowd, makeing him very visibale, one would wounder if he knows this or not. Myiari smiles wryly at the Senator's assumption, but offers little more than a shrug of her shoulder. "Well, I wouldn't call it bad," she replies. "My brothers set me up with one of their friends. As much as I love my brothers, I've never met any of their friends. I just agree to go out with them to be polite; most of them are your typical cocky flyboys." As she works on rubbing some of her make-up off, now that she no longer had need of it, she takes notice of the Verpine among the nearby pedestrians. Insectoid races had always fascinated her somehow, if only because she still failed at understanding their anatomy. A little ironic, given her profession. The drunk's actual arrival comes a few moments before the strong smell of what must have been even stronger liquor can be sensed and before that came an unexplainable burst of laughter. Why he decides to come into this establishment remains unknown but the man, a wealthy one if his clothes can be taken as a clue, wanders in and settles down at a table at random. Only a brief instant passes before he is clamouring for a waiter, or more specifically for the liquor that a waiter should bring. The Senator grins. "I'm familiar with the type," he says with an acknowledging nods. "I always thought that was just how the young were." the Senator's grin widens slightly. His back is to the Verpine, so he doesn't notice the insectoid, but the Mon Calamari's nostrils fair a little at the strong scent of liquor and he turns his head toward the drunk. "Oh, my..." Tokoga days dishearteningly, shaking his head. Dravin enters the cafe and finds a table in near the back where he can sit and have a quiet meal and a drink. Looking around quietly Dravin notices the senator, but does not say anything yet. Instead he singnals for a waiter and places an order. He sits and waits keeping an eye out for trouble. Myiari carefully but politely avoids taking a seat at the Senator's table; she hadn't been invited, and it might be best to avoid causing any unfortunate misunderstandings. She is about to respond to the Mon Calamari's comment when she notices the rather rowdy drunk. She wrinkles her nose in mild distaste, commenting softly, "It looks like someone's had a bit too much to drink tonight." "Hey, I know you!", the drunk exclaims when the Senator is seen, "You're that guy...that guy...", a quick hiccup interrupts his speech but he is soon forging ahead, "That guy on the tv, the fellow with the government, you know...you're the government guy." The forging ahead part soon becomes literally as he stands up, or rather pushes back his chair and lifts himself up using the table as a hold, making his way towards the Mon Calamari and his human companion table by table. "What...what are you doing here government guy?", he asks before turning to Myiari, "Hello Miss." Noticing that Myiari hadn't sat down yet, the Senator gestures toward the other, unused chair at the table. "Please, sit down if you like," he says before turning back to watch the drunk warily. "Yes," Tokoga answers, standing up to his full height and looking down at the man. "I am Senator Tokoga of Dac, and I am enjoying this fine evening under the beauty of Ord Mantell's numerous moons," he says with an pointing, upward glance and a little bit of a grin at the man's drunkenness. Dravin hears the drunk taking to a 'government man, so dravin turns to see who. Seeing the Senator that he transported resently, Dravin stands from his table and maneuvers quietly behind the drunk, being very careful to not let the drunk know that he is there. He gives a silent nod to the Senator and his friend, and signals to then to not reveal his presence. He stands ready to jump in at a moments notice. "Hello," Myiari murmurs politely to the man. She simply smiles, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as she takes a seat at the table. Her eyes flick momentarily to Dravin, seeming to understand his intentions. One of the Senator's bodyguards maybe? Regardless, she was somewhat happy he was there. She wasn't carrying her blaster tonight--her outfit didn't really permit much in the way of concealing a weapon--so if things went bad, there wasn't much she could do. With that in mind, she simply sits there, watching the two men in front of her speak. "Beautiful, you know, it's for the best that I'm not at that bar anywmore, all crowded and no fresh air. Can you believe they said that I had too much.", pfft and pfft again. A deep breath is taken, as much to clear his head as to take in some of the fresh air so readily available within the terrace of this small cafe off the proverbial beaten path. The drunk man finally arrives at the last table, thankfully not many of those tables are occupied at this late hour, before the Senator and the Medic's, edging along its surface until finally he hurries onward to his destination, catching on the Mon Calamari's table just before his balance is lost. He suddenly looks startled as if just realized the title given, "A senator, I didn't know that senators were allowed without guard, are you on some secret mission?" Despite his rather abrasive insertion into the...conversation let's say, the fellow seems friendly enough, a wide smile offered to Tokoga and Myiari and Dravin too, the fellow caught after he looked around. "Hello friend, are you a government person too?", he asks of the man before turning to the two before him. "How about you Miss, are you a friend of the Senator?" With a slight skip in her step, Ka'una makes her way down the street, bare feet falling quietly onto the tarmac. A backpack is slung over her right shoulder, as she just seems to be out to enjoy herself, moving past shops and windows. Sightseeing? The crimson twi'lek, with her blue metallic tattoos, and the white clothes, might distract a few other tourists here and there. She almost passes the cafe without paying it too much attention, before she walks slower..seeing the little group gathered there. She blinks. Coming to a standstill, slightly she cocks her head, her eyes on Dravin. There is a doubtful expression on her mind, as if she is trying to identify the verpine...which isn't easy with those insectoids...before her eyes lightly widen, and a smile moves her lips. She turns, changing directions as she walks towards the cafe, not really quickening her pace tho..and her eyes fall on the others gathered..and that seemingly drunk man. "Technically, I'm not, but I don't generally enjoy the constant looming presence of brandished firearms with my meals." the Senator answers honestly to the first part of the question, looking to Myiari and grinning momentarily before re-engaging in conversation with the man. "If this is a secret mission, its a pretty badly managed one." Dravin looks at the Senator and shrugs. Turning to drunk man, he offers a smile, or as much of one as a verpine can. "No, I am not a government person," he offers the drunk man a seat at the table, "How about we all have a drink together." he says. Dravin waits for the drunk man to sit down. The man sits down, "A drink would be a great idea good friend, my treat. I will have Corellian whiskey.", the man says loudly before banging his palm on the table to summon a waiter, his order relayed to the black and white uniformed Bothan that appears. "The hospital! You see Miss, they told me that it would be dangerous if I had more liquor, but I bet they were just bad business people, I look as fine as any don't I?" He doesn't stumble much through the speech, the fellow seeming one of those happy drunks who just grow louder and more talkative as further quantities of liquor are imbibed. A twi'lek is seen out of the corner of an eye, heading towards them it seems, but the fellow seems to dismiss that as a drink-induced mirage, twi'lek females and the like a frequent hallucination of those in his condition. Ka hums softly as she moves between empty tables, noticing that the seemingly drunk..or at least somewhat tipsy sounding man isn't treated as a big problem. A smile starts to move her lips as she nimbly approaches the table everybody is at, before she walks slower..stops near dravin, and clears her throat. "Dravin." the rather tall and athletic crimson being finally says. "It's you, isn't it?" Seems like she still is not -quite- sure. Her head turns, two of her four lekku moving to drape down her front as her red eyes glance at those others present, and she smiles before taking a light bow, a curious glance getting taken at the drunk. "Greetings everybody. I home I am not intruding." Tokoga makes a minute, disparaging shake of his head at the man's direction as he summons the waiter. There has to be some kind of public intoxication ordnance that the man is breaking. "They were probably right," he says under his breath as the man spins his hospital story. "No, of course not. The more, the merrier," The Senator says half-sarcastically--normally Tokoga is more than ready to leap on these kinds of spontaneous social gatherings, but stresses of late have instilled in him a love for the quiet, natural soundscape of the gardens. "Though, I think that we're going to need a bigger table," he says, acknowledging the ever-increasing number of people surrounding the small, two-person table. Dravin sit down to the right of the drunk man, in order to keep his blaster consealed. with it hidden under the table on his right leg, he quietly un clips it from the holster and without makeing a sound sets it to stun. His antenna twitch at the sound of his name, "Yes, I am Dravin," he says looking at Ka'una, "and you are Ka'una, right?" Turning to the drunk, he says, "I insist on paying for your drink sir, so it is my treat. After all it would only be polite for me to do that." Dravin motions to the Senator that is is ok, for the man to have one more drink. As all of this goes on, Myiari simply smiles and nods politely, regardless of whether or not she actually agrees with what's being said. "Sure, I don't see why not," she replies in response to the drunk stranger inviting himself in, though she seems none too enthusiastic about the idea. If she had to choose, she'd have preferred to have spent her evening with a rowdy pilot instead of a complete, drunken stranger. At least with her date from before, she knew her brothers could vouch for him being a respectable guy. "Nonsense, I will not have it known that I do not pay my own way.", and given the man's intentions, it might not be unreasonable to think that he will spend more than might be wise in this establishment. "You are right Senator. I will bring over that other table.", the other table in question being another two-seater within reach though when he tries to stand to put his words to action, he fails miserably. Ka'una is greeted then, "Of course not, the more the merrier.", no sarcasm detected. The twi'lek nods in thanks to the senator. "Thank you. Just noticed an old friend here." she says, and lightly gestures at Dravin, explaining her presence. "My name is Ka'una. Nice to meet you all." With that, she takes a step back as the second table is brought, and she turns towards Draving for a moment. "Such a chance meeting. I hope you have been alright?" she asks, as she pulls herself a chair over, and sits down where space is left after everybody has settled down, lightly crossing her legs, setting down her backpack behind her chair before her lekku drape down the backrest. For his own part, the Senator rather would have spent the evening by himself--or at least, not specifically with the local drunk, but short of getting up and leaving, that didn't seem like it was very likely to happen, and the lifelong politician has more composure than that. Ka'una ... the name sounds vaguely familiar to the Senator, but he can't put his mental finger on exactly how, so he stays silent for the moment. While the man moves the other table near them, Tokoga goes back to his food for a few moments, picking away at the juicy innards of some kind of saltwater fruit. Dravin looks to his friend Ka'una, "I have been doing well my friend," he gives a nod to Ka'una, hopeing that she realizes that the drunk is trouble. He turns to the rest of the Group and explains, "Ka'una is a frind of mine from Tattoine, She worked at the Angry Rancor." He looks to the Drunk and says, "Well, at least let me make your order a double, my friend." Myiari just keeps smiling and nodding in a fashion that would probably make most arm candy and trophy wives jealous. "I won't be having any drinks," she insists politely, folding her hands in her lap. She pauses, reconsidering her statement as she adds, "Well, no alcohol, anyway. I just came from a date, so I don't want to overdo it." "Hello Ka'una.", the man says after a moment before turning to Dravin, "Good man, a double it is, see, this is the type of person who should be owning a bar, the type that understands that people just want to drink and drink. Oh, a date, hope it was fun.", loud, talkative and completely devoid of decorum it would seem by the way the drunk fellow says that. "Tatooine is a good place to hunt I heard, dangerous people but good game.", he says randomly. "Glad to hear it." Ka'una replies to Dravin, before she nods to the drunk, looking the man over for a moment...before she grins. "Tatooine is a lovely place." she says. "At least when it comes to my preferences in climate, and there are a few things there that can be hunted, but yes...the society sticks to itself there, for the most part. Still one of my favorite places to enjoy the sun." Seems like she can't get enough rays. Her eyes find the Senator and his companion. "And yes, I actually still am head of engineering on the Angry Rancor. A cruise liner." Tokoga more or less ignores the drunk ramblings of the man seated next to him. Just how someone could find enjoyment in the stalking and killing of another living being is beyond the Senator, but apparently its a common sentiment on planets other than Dac. He doesn't press the issue, though, thinking it best to leave the drunk to his only loosely-connected stream of words. The Senator chuckles a little at Myiari. "I always thought _that_ was part of youth, too," he says with a grin. The mention of the Angry Rancor perks the Senator's interest. "Ah, yes, the cruise liner...you must be very proud," the Senator says. "I haven't head the pleasure, myself, but I've heard nothing but good things about the experience," he adds with a nod. Dravin sits quietly, his antenni twitch every so often. Myiari grabs the first available and unused napkin she can find and proceeds to wipe her face with it, attempting to remove the last remnants of her make-up. She didn't think she had put that much on, but it was really hard to get off. As she does this, she glances to the Twi'lek. "A cruise ship? I can't say I've ever been on one. Only those clunky transport shuttles. What's it like?" The drunk is offered a brief look. It doesn't seem like he's sobered up any. How is it that he's still even conscious? The cafe had suddenly grown much more crowded than it was before, true, only a handful of people came, but the drunk at one corner of the two joined tables was loud enough for a crowd by himself. The man suddenly stands, how he can do that all of a sudden is anyone's guest "Hey, that's Jineh over there, Jineh!", the name shouted rather loudly and a man passing through the gardens beside the cafe's terrace suddenly turns around. At the sight of the man holding on to the table for dear life with one hand clutched to the bottom of it with the other he waves frantically, 'Jineh' begins to walk away fast. "That's a great guy there, I'll be off now. A pleasure to meet you all, I'll be lo...", and for a moment it seems that he is dangerously close to emptying his stomach's content beside the table, but the moment does pass. "Looking forward to seeing you more on the tv. Thank you again friend.", the Verpine, "You make sure to enjoy that drink when it comes. And have a great day Miss.", the twi'lek is left for last, "I'll make sure to try the Angry Rancor, I've heard good things about it." And just as quickly as the fellow came, he is departing, as loudly too as he keeps yelling after the fastly-retreating Jineh. Ka'una smiles at the Senator and Myiari. "Thanks for the kind words about the cruiser. Yes, it has a good reputation, and I enjoy working there. Seeing the galaxy, all kinds of people coming an going..it's workplace and home at the same time. I can honestly say that I'd not trade it for any other job in the universe." Then, the drunk catches her attention, and she is about to say something when he stands...and she blinks, turning her head, trying to catch sight of the man he is referring to. Who seems to be in a hurry. She just lightly shakes her head. Figures that maybe some 'friends' of the drunk don't want to be seen with him in that state. She watches the man leave and follow his friendd, and she exhales softly, her lekku brushing slowly along the backrest of her chair. "Well..." she murmurs. "There he goes. Lively fellow." Red lips pull into a smirk. "Loud, too." Tokoga shakes his head at the drunk's departure, acknowledging his departure even less than he acknowledged his arrival. For his own part, the Senator is rather glad to be rid of the man. At any rate, he's someone else's problem now. The Mon Calamari smiles a little and nods toward the Twi'Lek. "You live the classic dream of the Mon Calamari: life and concentration bound to your ship and its purpose in the vast sea of space," he says. Dravin looks to the Senator after the man leaves. "IS everything all right, Sir?" he asks. "I know we only met the other day, but I thought you could use a hand with the drunk." Looking to his friend Ka'una, "Sorry about this, my friend." he says. Dravin truns and looks for the drunk, useing his keen verpind vision, to make sure that he is realy gone. As luck would have it, the drunk fellow meets up with a small violet furry alien, who is unaccountably quiet and a little distracted by something she is playing with in her hands. The two meet with a shrill little shriek of, "No! MY MARBLES!", and whatever sound it is that the drunk man would make as he bodily trips over the squib. However, the little 'clink'clink'clink' sound of a half-dozen little beads is lost to the general sound of the diner, as well as the high pitched, fast paced, "Oh no, but those are brand new marbles too! I'm sorry that you fell, but you haveta help me find them!" and the man, wherever he may be, is gripped in firm little furry fingers as Kithan tries to haul him upright ... from her whole substandard height difference from the downed man. Myiari lets out a soft exhale, appearing somewhat relieved now that the drunk had left. A few seconds earlier she'd been more than a little concerned that he'd end up throwing up on /HER/, which wouldn't exactly bode well. "Well, there he goes," she comments idly. "I think I would've preferred my date over him. At least if my date got drunk, he'd be a lot more coherent than that guy..." Ka'una lightly gestures to the senator. "Ah, well, it has its bad sides as well. Lots of workstress at times, mostly, especially when we arrive at a planet and get a rush of new guests. It's not all just happy times, but it's worth it." she explains to him, before she smiles wide at Dravin. "Oh, no worries." she says. "I figured something was up. If you'll excuse me for a moment, tho." The twi'lek pushes her chair back and stands, stretching before she takes a few steps, glancing about. "Gonna find a waiter..anybody else want to order something?" The clean getaway is ruined by the sudden appearance of the Squib, the man almost flying off the ground and spinning before he lands on his back. The surprising part is how fast the man gets up, the agility displayed clashing with how he behaved moments before. But just as all this is happening, for those blessed with antennae and as the Verpine is, there is a sudden signal picked up. The precise composition of it unknown other that it sends a quick pulse to a location...to the table's location of all things. And that is the only warning provided before the bottom suddenly catches fire, an acrid, burning smell spreading through the terrace fast. "No, it's alright," Tokoga assures the agitated Verpine. He wouldn't have sat there doing nothing if he thought there was any threat from the man. "Thank you, though." For his own part, Tokoga has already ordered, and has been slowly picking at his plate of fruit since Myiari had arrived there, so he shakes his head at Ka'una's question. "No, I already--" Tokoga starts to give a verbal answer, but cuts himself off when he hears the slightly muffled shriek of 'marbles', recognizing the voie as Kithan's. The Mon Calamari's delicate nasal passages are grossly offended by the acrid, acidic smell, enough so that he has to stand and immediately pull part of his robe across his face to keep the acidic smell and the close heat from damaging them. Dravin acts with a blinding speed and clears the table in a single jump, pushing the Senator and his Friend out of the way of the flames, though as he jumps over he kicks at Ka'una knocking her out of the way too. When he lands he draws his blaster and turns in the direction of the retreating drunk man. "No, it's alright," Tokoga assures the agitated Verpine. He wouldn't have sat there doing nothing if he thought there was any threat from the man. "Thank you, though." For his own part, Tokoga has already ordered, and has been slowly picking at his plate of fruit since Myiari had arrived there, so he shakes his head at Ka'una's question. "No, I already--" Tokoga starts to give a verbal answer, but cuts himself off when he hears the slightly muffled shriek of 'marbles', recognizing the voie as Kithan's. "No, it's alright," Tokoga assures the agitated Verpine. He wouldn't have sat there doing nothing if he thought there was any threat from the man. "Thank you, though." For his own part, Tokoga has already ordered, and has been slowly picking at his plate of fruit since Myiari had arrived there, so he shakes his head at Ka'una's question. "No, I already--" Tokoga starts to give a verbal answer, but cuts himself off when he hears the slightly muffled shriek of 'marbles', recognizing the voie as Kithan's. The Mon Calamari's delicate nasal passages are grossly offended by the sudden acrid, acidic smell, enough so that he has to stand and immediately pull part of his robe across his face to keep the acidic smell and the close heat from damaging them. It is in that moment of surprise and disorientation that the Senator gets thrown to the ground by the Verpine, landing with a pronounced 'Ooof' and a brief series of coughs. As the fire breaks out, and the man tries to get up and flee, Kithan clings with stubborn fingers to his leg, "Wait, where are you going!" she wails, "My marbles, and now there's a FIRE!" ... sure, squib aren't necessarily heavy, and she probably gets dragged along as the man moves, but there she clings. "You aren't supposed to run away when there's a fire, you're supposed to go find the nearest extinguisher and call the security forces!" Dravin make a few quick jumps with his bug legs and lands next to the slowly retreating man. Looking to Kith he says, "Dont let go of that man." Pointing his blaster at the man he orders him to stop in his tracks. "Kith, that man just tried to kill the Senator!" he says. Myiari lets out a yelp as she's knocked aside, but she quickly learns that it's not without good reason. A fire? Almost immediately, she climbs to her feet and grabs the Senator by the robes, trying to drag him a safe distance away, though she struggles a little with her outfit. "C'mon, Senator! I chose a GREAT day to leave my blaster at home..." she grumbles. "Find something to put out the fire with and call the police." Ka'una oofs loudly as she gets pushed back at the next (and thankfully emtpy table, quickly stopping herself from falling onto it with one arm. "Dravin, wha-" Fire. That's what. She quickly steps back from it, protectively placing her hand over her mouth and nose as her other hand reaches for her backpack. "Get away from the area!" she shouts. Seems like the best idea, really, and she whirls around before she goes for a running start, that ends up in a rather unelegant stumble as a marble flies through the air, propelled by her foot, followed by a series of twi'leki expletives as she catches herself from falling. Again. Not a Ka'una day. The Squib is not a heavy creature, certainly, but it does not mean that she doesn't slow and eventually pull him to a stop when the man realizes that his escape will be ruined by Kithan. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't let go right now I will.", and for emphasis a small knife is removed from within his jacket. No, he is far from behaving like a drunk, the sudden clarity in both his words and actions exposing his ruse as what it was. And the fire too can no longer be dismissed as an accident, even a freak one. The table's legs are now burning, the flames having spread down before they begin to burn through the wooden surface of it, immense heat coming from it. Dravin watches as the man pulls a knife on Kith. In a fast run that is more like a series of small jumps, Dravin reaches Kithan and the man in almost no time. Stoping just out of arms reack Dravin levels his blaster at the man, "Dont make me kill you," he says, "Drop the knife." Without takeing his eyes off of the man he says to Kith, "This man just tried to kill the Senator, get by me Kith." Left alone by the Verpine, the Senator raises himself first to his knees, then to his feet, where he once again buries his face in his robe to keep the smoke out of his lungs and walking over to Dravin's and the man positions. "He must be one of Bacon Nass' operatives!" the Senator yells over the increasingly loud din of the scene around him, looking around for any authority figures that might be approaching. If captured, the man would be unlikely to give up any useful information, but they could hopefully at least make the connection. Giving a squeak of alarm as the man pulls a knife on her, Kithan says heatedly, "Hey, what's the big idea! First you run into me and make my lose my marbles, and now you're going to CUT me?! Some person you a... what?" she interrupts herself, looking over at Dravin as he gives her some pertinent information. She then looks back at the man and says angrily, "You tried to kill Mister Tokoga?! You... you! YOU BAD PERSON!" and then Kithan ... bites the man in the leg. Or makes a valiant attempt to. Sharp white pointed teeth do their best to make contact with evil-meany-man-flesh. "Are you serious?" Myiari asks the Senator in disbelief. "The guy from your office?" If the person behind this attempted murder on the Senator was Bavon Nass, he certainly went to great lengths for so little. He was as bad as the Senator had originally assumed. She remains close to Tokoga, carefully watching to see if anyone else suspicious comes close to try and finish the job. She wasn't armed, but it was better than doing nothing. After Ka catches herself again, she continues to move quickly..tho, there is a change of plans. With everybody heading for the 'drunk', she does as well, grumbling as she sidesteps some more marbels. "Known criminals?" she wonders as she catches the senator's words, tho she doesn't look at him. Her eyes are on the man with the knive, and the squib trying to bite him. Her stance is a tense one, eyes lightly narrowed, fists formed. An immensely pained scream is given as the squib's teeth dig deep into his flesh, still, a bite would be much better than getting shot as the Verpine now threatens. Thankfully, he got his arm down just in time for the squib to not bite down on his leg. And though Kithan cuts deep into him, the fellow puts that aside and lifts the squib and uses her as a shield. "Do it and she goes first. Doesn't matter how fast you are, my hand will move first.", and the hand in question not grips his knife tightly, the pointy end of it just mere centimetres from the squib. Blood is gushing from his wound as the squib holds on, but at least for the immediate moment he can ignore that even if his arm is shaking terribly. He begins to back away, slowly but surely, hoping to put enough distance that he can make a run for it The Senator growls at the man and at their current predicament. "Let her go!" Despite having absolutely no leverage in the situation, the Senator sounds quite stern and serious. "It can only get worse if you don't stop," he adds, robes billowing in the breeze slightly. Hopefully the man could be reasoned with. The squib gives a louder scream than the man she just bit, possibly a bit painful in and of itself, "You taste AWFUL!" she complains, her feet kicking in the air as the wiry three foot tall bundle of fur and energy starts to squirm. Her little claws dig into his arms and ... yes, she opens her mouth again and once more goes for flesh and blood, trying to sink her teeth into the arm that's holding her up in the air, even as she drums her feet back in against the fellow's waist, belly and who knows, maybe a lucky hit in a more sensative spot, as well! Her goal is to get herself free... and draw more blood as she does so! Oh he cursed and cursed before finally letting the Squib go, as long as she did not hold him back, he could risk not having a shield. He doesn't even have time to snicker at the Verpine's words, the man's attention drawn towards the Squib long enough to be distracted. The shot takes him straight in the chest just where Kithan was moments ago. It is a small comfort that at least the gun was set to stun, but it would have been a much better one were the Squib to have been hit instead of him. "Dam...", he says before his body's systems are shut down one after the other as the stun bolt works quickly. The fire was put out although the table was ruined. Dropping to the ground and spitting, Kithan actually starts to wipe her tongue on her hands, "Oh yuck, gross! Get me some watah!" she gags, before she turns and gives a frown at the man on the ground, "Serves you right! Trying to hurt... Mister Tokoga!" spinning around abruptly, the squib looks around for her favorite person in the world, next to Dart. Spotting him, she dashes forward and says earnestly, "Did he hurt you? Are you alright? And have you seen my marbles? I lost a few of them when that evil horrible tasting person fell over me. He was really rude." The Senator throws his arm out to go across the Verpine's chest, but he isn't as fast as the Verpine and doesn't get the symbolic gesture not to do anything up in time to prevent his firing his sidearm. He didn't want the situation to get any more violent than it already had, but that plan didn't work out very well. As the man falls to the ground, Tokoga frowns and walks over to the man, looking over the man and hoping he's alright. Dravin steps over to the now fallen man and binds his hands with whatever is available. Looking to the Senator, he says, "Dont worry, He is still alive, I only stuned him. He sould wake up in an hour or so, then he can be interigated." Checking the man over, Dravin removes any and all items the the man was carring, including the knife. Looking back to Kith Dravin asks, "Are you ok friend?" The medic rushes back upon hearing the blaster shot, looking rather harried as she approaches the downed man. "Stand aside," she insists gently, glancing at the Senator. "I'll check him out. If it was just a stun bolt, then he should be fine. Restrain him if you can until the authorities get here." The man fell down as clarified before and as for what can be looted from him, there is the knife obviously but also a small comlink and a few credit chits. "Ah...Senator Tokoga?", one of the cafe's waiters comes forward hesitantly, a datapad clutched to his chest almost as if it was a protective talisman. "Um...here.", the datapad held out after a moment when the Mon Calamari is spotted, "It was a message that came for you just now.", the rest of the staff was busy dealing with the fire and otherwise handling the various small details that need tending. The squib stays right on Tokoga's heels, actually... she tries to grab his robe and pull him away from the downed man... an odd sight indeed, as she pulls the fabric against his legs, but otherwise doesn't budge the much heavier being, "No, Mister Tokoga, don't go over by him! You can never tell when they're faking it, and then they jump up and try to eat your brains! I'm telling you, it's a trick! Get an axe! Or at least some pepperspray. That stuff stings really bad... did you get hurt, are you okay? Oh, hi Myiari! How are you? I think that guy has a few bite marks in his arms. But he deserved it! And I'm not contagious with anything that a human can catch.. I don't think at any rate." As the waiter comes up, Kithan gives him a suspicious look and tries to put herself between Tokoga and the waiter, "And just who are you? Is that datapad bombed? It's bombed isn't it! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" The Mon Calamari moves around to the other side of the man and watches him for a few more seconds before turning to the waiter who brought the datapad. "It's alright, Kithan," he says, flicking his eyes from the waiter to the Squib and holding a halting hand in her direction. "I'm sorry for the damage," Tokoga says to the waiter, taking the datapad and other objects. "If you have any problems with your insurance, call my office," he adds as an afterthought. Dravin stands and moves over to where the Senator and the Waitter are. He holsters his blaster and asks, "What does it say, Senator?" The fact that the massage came just after the assassination attempt, can not be a coinceidence. Dravin is sertain that the message must be from who ever hired the assassin. Usein his antenni, Dravin searches for any other rf signals while makeing sure that the athorities have been notified. He also make a visual check of the area for anything suspicious. After Myiari has finished checking out the supposed drunk, she straightens up with a soft sigh. "He'll be alright," she announces, reaching for a small canister of bacta spray in her medpack. "A few minor injuries, but I can treat them here." As she works, she glances to the Senator and the datapad he's been handed with a faint frown. "What does it say?" she asks, echoing the Verpine. The datapad's contents are rather short, a brief message displayed on its screen. 'We have at our disposal tools far more potent and effective than this one. Hopefully you accept that before any real unpleasantness occurs.' No signature, and no hint as to who it might have been that sent this or even from where. Rasi boards a Skyline Transit maglev. The doors to the Skyline Transit maglev close, and it heads off down the track.